62 Hydrangea Hortensis for OiU-door Decoration. 



surface, and mulched with rotted dung, and watered as frequently as cir- 

 cumstances will permit. The plants are removed and protected in winter 

 until the wood assumes a shrubby character ; when they are permanently 

 planted out, or kept in borders, and regularly transplanted to suit require- 

 ments. 



In a climate where frost would destroy the annual shoots, the plants may 

 be taken up and put into any sort of shed, with straw, or any other thatch, 

 to keep out frost. In this sort of treatment, it is important to maintain the 

 vigor of the plants ; and to this end it is necessary, when the plants are 

 laid in, to pack firmly moist earth about the roots. No more trouble will 

 be required until the latter end of May ; when the plants may be put into 

 summer quarters, and the weak shoots should be freely thinned out, and 

 the beds well watered. The hydrangea will flower but sparingly if planted 

 deep. Surface-feeding will produce the best result in flower, and prevent 

 the weakly shoots that are sure to come from deep planting. Our practice 

 here is to top-dress heavily the large plants with rich pond-mud, about the 

 end of May ; and this treatment has lengthened the continuation of bloom. 

 Water is the great element of success in cultivating the hydrangea. In 

 many places where flowers are cultivated, that element is scarce ; but, in 

 special cases, deep pits may be dug, and filled up with peat}' sods or other 

 spongy materials : this has been done here with success. Some of the pits 

 were dug out six feet deep, the hole filled in with rough sods, on top of 

 which was put a layer of stiff clay, on which was put a layer of rotted dung, 

 and hydrangeas planted over the surface-level. The object of the pits is 

 to secure uniform moisture. The plants are a large size, and flower to ad- 

 miration. I have tried with various earths the changing of the flowers 

 fi'om pink to blue. I have found the same result in pure clay, pure peat, 

 and in the simple bodies : experience forbids me giving any decided opinion 

 on this matter. Some of the American varieties of hydrangea are very 

 beautiful hardy-flowering shrubs. 



Charles M'-Donald, in " Scottish Gardener.^'' 



[A mixture of iron filings or blacksmith-forge filings with the earth will 

 cause the flowers to change from pink to blue. Watering with chalk-water 

 will counteract this effect, and change the flowers to pink again. In some 

 soils, the hydrangea naturally flowers blue. — Ed.] 



